Organized by the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, and the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, this exhibition will evoke the jazz loft at 821 Sixth Avenue through images, sound, and ephemera. Setting the scene will be 175 of W. Eugene Smith's gritty photographs of the loft interiors and of the streets of the flower district as seen from his fourth-floor window. Viewed alongside his master prints, Smith's 5x7-inch work prints will further indicate the breadth and depth of the loft story. Audio components and computer stations will feature selections from Smith's reel-to-reel tapes, which captured everything from rousing jam sessions to historic radio broadcasts, conversations, and street noise. Archival objects such as Smith's cameras, samples of original tapes, and other loft equipment will provide additional cultural and personal context, as will 16mm film footage of Smith at work in the loft. The exhibit will open at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in February 2010 and run through May 2010. Other venues include the Chicago Cultural Center, the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, and the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona. Please check again for updates to the exhibition schedule.

The Jazz Loft Project, Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, 1317 W. Pettigrew Street, Durham, NC 27705
jazzloftproject.org | 919.660.3668 | 919.681.7600 fax | lauren.hart [at] duke.edu